Our Light
by Lady Akuma Wolf
Summary: Four caught One as Cain flung him into the vault. "Where's Five?" Six asked worriedly. One took a shaky breath, his face pale. "Away," he said numbly. "and I don't think for anything good." Missing Scene/AUish from Season One Episode 11s scene where Wexler threatens to hurt Five and One is returned to Three, Four and Six. TRIGGERS: noncon and self-harm FINISHED SEQUEL ON AO3 SORRY!
1. Chapter 1

Four caught One as Cain flung him into the vault, hands bound behind his back and blood running down one side of his face, almost stumbling into one of the shelving units and eased him down onto the lowest shelf. "You ok?" Four asked gruffly.

One grunted a response, breathing heavily.

"Where's Five?" Six asked worriedly.

One took a shaky breath, his face pale. "Away," he said numbly. "and I don't think for anything good."

Three took a step forward in spite of himself. "Why do you say that? Why did they take her in the first place?"

Four grabbed Five's knife and cut the plastic ties on One's wrists. Rubbing the sore limbs, he said finally, "They are under the impression I have a secret stash of weapons, bars and other valuables hidden on some planet or moon and wanted their location. I told them I didn't, and -" he waved at his face - "They did this."

"Wait, wait," Three held up his hand. "You have a secret stash and you haven't shared with the rest of us?" He demanded. "What the hell are you-"

"No!" One snapped impatiently. "Not me, the real Jace Corso! They think I'm him."

Three eyed him suspiciously, but let the matter drop. "So what does Five have to do with this?"

One swallowed hard. "They... Wexler, he was going to use her, torture her in front of me, thinking if he hurt her enough, I'd give up the location." He looked up at the other men in the vault, who all stared speechlessly at him. He continued, "At first, Wexler was just threatening to tear her finger off with a pliers, starting with the small ones..." One trailed off, bile in the back of his throat.

"Just? At first?!" Six demanded. "What the hell else did they threaten? What did they do?"

Hands clenched into fists in One's lap. "They said maybe instead they'd have some fun. They started... touching her. Her face, her hair, her neck-"

He was interrupted by Six's exclamation, Three swearing, and Four punching a mostly empty container above his head, sending it loudly crashing into the back wall. "They are dead,'' Four swore firmly. ''All of them.''

"Not if I get there first," Six growled, his dark eyes snapping.

''Get in line, boys." Ordered Three. They all stared at him. He threw his hands in the air. "Alright, so the kid's grown on me. Happy?"

One snorted despite himself. So Five has managed to work her magic even on the bastard. Good for her. "Before they could... go any further they got called up to the bridge, something was wrong, but when they came back, they took her with them. I didn't see her after that. I only hope she remains useful to them in regards to the ship until we can break out of here and take care of the matter."

Six crossed his arms. "Damn straight."

Four was frowning as he leaned against the shelving unit. "Why didn't you just tell them you're not the real Jace Corso? I'm assuming you made copies of that DNA scan. That should be proof enough for them to stop."

"I was going to." said One. "I told Five as much. She told me not to."

"What?" demanded Six. "Why?"

"Because she didn't want me to end up useless like her to them." One gave a small chuckle. "She was trying to protect me, even as I was going to protect her. But even if I had... they might've just killed us anyway. Or me, at any rate. I don't think they would have been as kind to her."

"She's a strong little warrior," Four murmured. "I hope she is able to remain so."

"Well I say the sooner we can get out of here, the better!" Three declared. "Rescue our little warrior, take back the ship, and kill these sons of bitches. And the more they've hurt her, the slower they die."

One nodded in agreement, but all he could picture was Five's tear-stained face as the animals wearing human bodies touched her, the firmness in her voice as she told him to remain silent when the came back, and the fear in her eyes as they ripped her away from his sight.

They had to get to her, and soon. Before their Light - as he had sometimes thought of her - was dimmed or put out completely. He had seen the look in her eyes when they had touched her. Whether she remembered it or not, it wasn't the first time someone had done so. He just prayed he - all of them - could make damn well sure it was the last time.


	2. Chapter 2

TRIGGER WARNING: Rape/noncom scene. Please don't read if it will trigger you!

OoOoO

"Do something!" Tash shouted, her eyes wide as they all listened to the man outside gasping for breath over the crackling coms.

Then the heart monitor's frantic beeping took on a single, long note.

"It's too late," Wexler murmured, toothpick held loosely in his mouth.

Cain stalked over to Five, glaring angrily down at her. "What the hell just happened?"

"I-I don't know!" Five replied as she shrank away from him.

Another beeping interrupted them.

"That's impossible..." said Wexler .

"What?" Tash demanded.

Someone's pressurizing the airlock."

Tash whirled on Cain. "Are you _sure_ the prisoners are secure?"

"YES!" Cain retorted, offended. "I'm positive!"

"I've got the door monitored from here," Wexler informed them. "it's been locked this whole time."

Cain and Tash cornered Five. "Who else is on this ship?" The blonde demanded.

"No one!" Five said.

"You're lying!" hissed Tash, ready to slap the girl.

"Take her and put her with the others," Wexler ordered Cain. He turned to Tash. "Get down there and check the airlock. NOW!" he added when his two subordinates hesitated.

After they disappeared, Wexler turned back to the monitors. What on Earth was going on out there? Couldn't an operation go off without any hitches, just once?

OoOoO

"That's far enough!" Cain growled behind her. Five slowed to a stop outside the open mess hall door. He walked around her slowly, gun still in hand. He ran his eyes up and down her, smirking. "What you say about having that fun we spoke of earlier, hmm?"

Five wrinkled her nose and brow at him. "I'd say no thanks. You're not my type-" her retort was cut off when Cain backhanded her, sending her crashing into the doorjam of the mess.

"You shut your mouth, bitch!" he was right there, pressing himself against her. "I don't know how you did it, how you killed Vons, but I am going to make you pay, slowly."

He grabbed Five by her colorful hair, and shoved her into the mess hall, sealing the door shut behind them.

OoOoO

Tash stalked down the halls to the airlock, gun drawn. She wished she could have been the one to take the bitch who had killed Vons back to the others, not that she'd have made it back there alive. It would have been nice, she thought as she peered into the seemingly empty airlock, to have tossed her lifeless body in with the rest of the crew.

Blinking back tears, she opened the airlock doors. As it had seemed when she'd looked in, it was empty. There was no sign of a malfunction or burnout, either. Computer glitch, perhaps, caused by the bitch?

Stepping back into the hall and about to inform Wexler there was no one there, someone tackled her into the metal mesh of the walls. She fought at the arm across her throat and hand pinning her gun arm against her body.

It was Two.

"You're supposed to be dead!" she croaked.

Two cocked an eyebrow. "Oh yeah? Sorry to disappoint!"

Too late, Tash realized Two had maneuvered her gun. Too late, not until after her hand involuntarily squeezed as she fought to breathe. Too late to stop from dying from her own bullets and guns.

 _Vons..._

OoOoO

Two stepped away from the now-dead woman, grabbing the gun as it slipped and fell to the floor. Trying to think rationally, she figured most if not all the rest of the crew would be detained somewhere where they couldn't escape and would require minimal supervision. That left the other airlocks and the vault, neither of which had air vents. But - to her knowledge - there was no prison cell on board.

Figuring her best decision would be to head to the bridge and scan for them, Two took off at a fast walk, peering around corners down the next hallways.

The one other airlock she passed was empty of any of her crew.

About to pass another closed door, she heard a grunt and a moan, causing her to pause. Was it one of her crew, trying to escape their bonds?

"Oh, yeah. There's a good little bitch. Take it all, slut!"

Cain.

Two's grip tightened on her gun as she prayed she was wrong in her assumption as she opened the door.

To her distress, she was right.

Cain was straddling a naked Five on top of the mess table, spread-eagle, her arms and legs tied down with straps running underneath. Another strap was wrapped around her mouth, but there was no sound, and her open eyes looked glazed.

She shot him through the head before he even realized through his sex-filled haze she was even standing there, toppling out of sight away from her.

Swiftly she cut Five's arms and legs free, noting the bleeding and bruising which showed she had fought hard, and the bruises on the rest of her, including her cheek and throat. Her pulse and breathing were both shallow and slow, almost trance-like. Blood ran from her nose and mouth. Her skin was ice cold.

Choking back a growl, Two gently touched Five's face. "Five? Five, it's me, Two. Five?"

No response.

Scooping the too-light girl up, Two moved Five into Four's room down the hall, covering her with a blanket. She couldn't stand the thought of leaving the younger girl, but she had to finish this. Praying she was ok, and wouldn't wake up until this was all over, Two headed down the last few hallways to the bridge.

OoOoO

"What the hell took so long?!" Wexler demanded, pausing to tap the screen in front of him before turning around, and freezing. Of all the people, locked up remained crew of the Raza included, Wexler was not expecting the person who _did_ walk through the doors to the bridge.

"Sorry to disappoint, you bastard." Two spat, two guns aimed at him and murder in her eyes. "Come with me, _now_."

Wexler held his ground. "You think you can get away with this, whoever, hell _whatever_ you are? Tash and Cain-"

"are both dead." interrupted Two. " Tash in the hall down by the southeast airlock when she attacked me, and Cain in the mess while he was raping Five!"

"Cain always did have a thing for young ones," Wexler said with a shrug, but he was smart enough to come around the console slowly, hands raised.

Two marched his back to the southeast airlock, the same one he had spaced her in. He hardly had a chance as she rushed him past the mess to glance in. He couldn't see Cain's body, but he could see a small river and pool of blood leaking underneath the long table; there was more on top of it.

Tash's body was slumped a little ways down the hall from the airlock, resting in its own pool of blood. He turned to look at Two. "What, is that-" he waved at the dead woman's body ''supposed to scare me into something?"

"No." She shoved him into the compartment.

He chuckled, trying to fold his arms and posture, though it didn't work well with his arm still wrapped up. "You won't really space me. You've said it before, you're not like me."

"You're right. I'm not going to space you."

He could hear her typing on the keyboard. "If that's so, then what're you doing?"

"I'm going to decompress the chamber. Slowly. Until you tell me what I want to know. _If_ you survive, _I_ won't be the one spacing you. I'll save that for Five. Or maybe we'll just leave you in here to rot. Or like I said, maybe you'll just stop breathing now."

"And what is it you want to know? The passcode to the vault?"

"That's where you're holding the rest of the crew, right?"

He smirked. "All but you and Five. I do have to say, even though she's not my type-"

Two slapped her hand against the airlock door. "Shut up, you bastard!"

"Or what? You can't kill me."

Two grit her teeth; he was right. "No." she hit another button. "But I can torture you in there. I'm going to make your asphyxiate over, and over, and over. Until you tell me what you want to know."

It took longer that Two thought it would; five times she made him stop breathing before he screamed out, "1040-99XD-4!"

It was tempting, oh, so tempting, to leave him to suffocate. But she walked off, heading below decks to the Vault.

OoOoO

The code worked, surprisingly. She'd been half-waiting for Wexler to have lied.

The door slid open to reveal Six with metal pipe on one side, Four with a metal railing frame, and Three in the middle with two canisters; in the back, One was slumped against a stack of crates, trying to remain on his feet.

"We're ready you-" Three slurred. then he caught sight of her. "You. You! How the hell are you even freaking _alive_?!"

"No idea." Two said, her eyes flicking from one of the men to other. Besides not being completely lucid, and One's bruised face, they at least seems to all be alright. "You all ok?"

"Where's Five?" Four asked instead of answering.

Two wasn't sure how to break the news.

"Unconscious." she said finally.

"Is she ok? They didn't... did they?" One asked, taking a few steps forward only to crumble against Three, who caught him, grumbling. They all turned to look at her for the answer.

Her silence gave him, gave them, all the answer they needed.


	3. Chapter 3 and 4!

A/N: TRIGGER WARNING: noncon

"What the hell took so long?!" Wexler demanded, pausing to tap the screen in front of him before turning around, and freezing. Of all the people, locked up remained crew of the Raza included, Wexler was not expecting the person who _did_ walk through the doors to the bridge.

"Sorry to disappoint, you bastard." Two spat, two guns aimed at him and murder in her eyes. "Come with me, _now_."

Wexler held his ground. "You think you can get away with this, whoever, hell _whatever_ you are? Tash and Cain-"

"are both dead." interrupted Two. " Tash in the hall down by the southeast airlock when she attacked me, and Cain in the mess while he was raping Five!"

"Cain always did have a thing for young ones," Wexler said with a shrug, but he was smart enough to come around the console slowly, hands raised.

Two marched his back to the southeast airlock, the same one he had spaced her in. He hardly had a chance as she rushed him past the mess to glance in. He couldn't see Cain's body, but he could see a small river and pool of blood leaking underneath the long table; there was more on top of it.

Tash's body was slumped a little ways down the hall from the airlock, resting in its own pool of blood. He turned to look at Two. "What, is that-" he waved at the dead woman's body ''supposed to scare me into something?"

"No." She shoved him into the compartment.

He chuckled, trying to fold his arms and posture, though it didn't work well with his arm still wrapped up. "You won't really space me. You've said it before, you're not like me."

"You're right. I'm not going to space you."

He could hear her typing on the keyboard. "If that's so, then what're you doing?"

"I'm going to decompress the chamber. Slowly. Until you tell me what I want to know. _If_ you survive, _I_ won't be the one spacing you. I'll save that for Five. Or maybe we'll just leave you in here to rot. Or like I said, maybe you'll just stop breathing now."

"And what is it you want to know? The passcode to the vault?"

"That's where you're holding the rest of the crew, right?"

He smirked. "All but you and Five. I do have to say, even though she's not my type-"

Two slapped her hand against the airlock door. "Shut up, you bastard!"

"Or what? You can't kill me."

Two grit her teeth; he was right. "No." she hit another button. "But I can torture you in there. I'm going to make your asphyxiate over, and over, and over. Until you tell me what you want to know."

It took longer that Two thought it would; five times she made him stop breathing before he screamed out, "1040-99XD-4!"

It was tempting, oh, so tempting, to leave him to suffocate. But she walked off, heading below decks to the Vault.

OoOoO

The code worked, surprisingly. She'd been half-waiting for Wexler to have lied.

The door slid open to reveal Six with metal pipe on one side, Four with a metal railing frame, and Three in the middle with two canisters; in the back, One was slumped against a stack of crates, trying to remain on his feet.

"We're ready you-" Three slurred. then he caught sight of her. "You. You! How the hell are you even freaking _alive_?!"

"No idea." Two said, her eyes flicking from one of the men to other. Besides not being completely lucid, and One's bruised face, they at least seems to all be alright. "You all ok?"

"Where's Five?" Four asked instead of answering.

Two wasn't sure how to break the news.

"Unconscious." she said finally.

"Is she ok? They didn't... did they?" One asked, taking a few steps forward only to crumble against Three, who caught him, grumbling. They all turned to look at her for the answer.

Her silence gave him, gave them, all the answer they needed.

OoOoO

Keep the male portion of the Raza crew from spacing Wexler, as the only remaining target for their rage had been quite difficult; she still didn't trust Three and Six to _not_ attempt it if she wasn't paying attention. They had not been happy about being cheated out of the beating death - or worse - they wanted to deal out to Cain, and to a lesser extent Tash and Vons for their part in the betrayal.

"Oh, like I was going to drag Cain off of Five, knock him out, and stick him somewhere!" Two finally spat out when Three and One kept bitching.

Three blanched; One threw up.

"He was... _on_ her, on Five, when you found him?!" One demanded between heaves; Three kept him from falling off the crate they were sharing, along with an air canister between them.

"Yes." Two turned to leave. "So you can see why I was in a rush to kill him."

"Where is she?" Six asked quietly.

"I put her in Four's rooms. They were the closest. Sorry for any mess, Four. I'll take care of it when I can. I'm going to move her to the Med-Bay. All of you, stay out of there until I can assess her condition."

"Just take care of Five," Four said quietly, setting aside his own air canister. "I will clean up the mess hall, and anything... else."

OoOoO

Five was still unconscious when Two returned for her in Four's rooms. Her eyes had closed, but her breathing was still shallow and unsteady. Bruises were now well-formed on her wrists and ankles, on her neck in the shape of hands, and down one side of her face. More dotted themselves across her chest and down her legs.

She's too light, Two thought as she scooped the girl up, maneuvering the hallways to the Med-Bay. We need to make sure we get some better rations, or some real food for her, and for all of us. If we're going to stay together.

Two was startled at the realization as she cleaned up Five she _wanted_ them all to stay together. Sure, it was difficult. One and Three were always at each other's throats, money was always tight, and most of them had bounties on their heads so high just one of them could fund a brand new colony. But... it felt right.

Covering a mostly clean Five with a blanket, she went in search of the Android.

She grabbed Four for help carrying the Android back to the Med-Bay, leaving Three of all people to be soaking up Cain's blood with giaganitc pads and tossing them into a bio-hazard bag; the body was already gone, probably spaced by at least these two, if not Six and One as well, who from the sound of it were taking care of Tash and that bloody mess.

They all, she had noticed, kept staring at her when they thought she wasn't looking. She ignored it, for now. She didn't have any answers to give them, let alone herself. Even when she did find them out, what could she say to the rest of her crew? They hadn't attacked her yet, which was good. But if she proved to be a threat to them, she didn't think their current truce would last.

Four was silent as he helped her carry the Android, only nodding when she pointed out that the Android already seemed thirty percent fixed, her - because Two had to agree with Five, despite the Android being, well, an android, calling her an it no longer seemed right, she had helped them so much - nanobots hard at work.

Briefly setting down the Android's body to punch in the code for the Med-Bay, Two's back was turned, bending down to pick the Android back up when the door slid open; Four straightened, ignoring her glare as he stepped around her and into the Med-Bay.

"You said Five was in here; where is she?"

Two whirled around, eyes wide as she looked from the empty bed and empty room, to the locked door, to the ceiling.

"Shit."


	4. Chapter 5

TRIGGER WARNING: graphic flashbacks of rape and self harm. DO NOT read if will trigger you!

Flashbacks are in _italics_

Chapter Five.

"Five? Five, please come in. Where are you?''

Two's voice ran oddly in Five's ears. She couldn't tell if it was coming over the comm, or through the vents. It echoed oddly in her mind, and she couldn't figure out why, exactly.

But it didn't matter, not right now. Now, she just needed to get away. She wasn't even sure where she was in the ship, and not caring. twists and turns, ups and downs. Her palms and knees were bleeding, joining the bruises which were scattered all over her.

She remembered why and how they got there...

 _"Strip_ ," _Cain ordered, waving the gun at her. "Now."_

 _She refused, shaking her head as she backed up, running into the mess table._

 _A slap sent her to the floor before her collar was roughly grabbed, yanking her upright. A fist smashed into her face, splitting her lip._

 _She was yanked upright again and thrust against the table. Large male hands gripped the collar of her shirt and ripped it, splitting her favorite shirt clean in half._

 _She shoved him away from her. Trying to cover herself, Five kicked out at him, catching him in the stomach._

 _Cain swore, stumbling into her when she made a dash for the closed door and throwing her to the floor._

 _Kneeling down, he_ _leered at her. "I love the ones who fight."_

Blood ran down her chin from the split lip clenched between her teeth. Five forced herself to get back on her hands and knees and keep moving, though flashes still rammed their way into her head, warring with the voices from outside. Or in her ear. She still wasn't sure which.

"Five, please, for the love of... please answer me!" Two.

 _A man with ratty, honey-colored hair ran his hand over her face. "You're lost, aren't you? Let me help you..."_

 _A black hand gripped her hair, shoving her to her knees, the other hand undoing buttons on pants. "Do as you're told, and you won't get hurt!"_

"Five? Lil' Warrior, please. Where are you?" Four.

"Five? Please come out. That... man. He's dead. Please!" One.

 _Laughter. Groping hands. Blackness. A hood._

 _A large body shoving her against the wall, a hand shoving its way down her pants._

 _Dark haired men taking turns on top of her._

 _Pain. Pain, pain pain PAIN._

 _Blood, oozing from a cut on her arm. A piece of glass clattered to the floor._

"C'mon, Kid. Where are you? C'mon out, I really don't want to get stuck crawling around those vents of yours looking for you!" Three.

"Five, answer me!" Two, again.

 _"These'll hold you, you bitch!" Cain snarled as she came out of the blackness his fists had sent her into, tying the last strap which kept her spread eagle and immobile on the mess table. She was naked._

 _She struggled uselessly, even when the straps started cutting into her skin in a panic as Cain slowly walked around to stand beside her. He watched her for a moment, eyes flickering all over her body._

 _"You know," he said conversationally as he undid his belt. "Things would've gone so much better for you if you'd just complied." He leaned over, touching her face._

 _She spat at him. "Screw you, asshole."_

 _Slowly, he wiped her spit away. Then he sighed, undoing his pants. "You really shouldn't have just done that."_

When she came out of the flashback that time, Five found herself curled up at a vent junction near the showers, Two's voice ringing in her ears.

Then she remembered.

Two was dead. She was hearing voices.

Again.

OoOoO

"Two? I wanted to report to you that I am back online, and ninety-five percent repaired. Is there something I can assist you with?" The Android's voice rang over the comms.

"Can you check all the sensors in the vents for Five's comm? She's upset and not answering us."

"Sure."

The crew came to a halt, waiting for the Android's answer.

"Two? She's not in the vents."

Icy fear touched Two's spine. "Scan the rest of the ship."

A few more moments of silence.

"I have located her comm signal. It is in corridor 5A-32."

"Hate to tell ya, I'm here, and she's not." Three drawled as he rounded a corner. Then he stopped; then he swore. "Found her comm, but no Five." He glanced up. "She must've lost it, or dropped it out of the vents. It's right below a vent opening in the ceiling."

OoOoO

Two ran a hand over her face and through her hair. "Can you locate her without her comm?"

"Not in my current state. Once my repairs are finished, I will. But that won't be for another few hours. If you all work in a grid, you could probably search a good portion of the ship before then and eliminate a good number of places she could be in."

"Already on it. If there's any way you can speed up your nanites, please do so."

OoOoO

Six and One nodded to each other as their paths crossed.

"Anything?" Asked One.

Six shook his head. "Nothing. I mean, Five's a small girl, lotta places she could be hiding in the vents alone, not to mention the rest of the ship."

"Yeah, I suppose you've got that right." One agreed. "I just wish she'd come out."

OoOoO

Four mostly ignored the chatter which sporadically came through the comm in his ear. He focused instead on listening for movement above and around him, any hint of Five.

The occasional muted pup of the hull.

Distant echoes of footsteps, too loud and heavy to be Five.

Running water.

Four stopped.

Wait.

Running water?


	5. Chapter 6

TRIGGER WARNING!

Graphic self harm and non-con aftermath. DO NOT READ if this is a trigger for you!

OoOoO

Four decided not to inform the rest of the crew as he stepped softly towards the door; he wasn't sure why. He just knew he wanted to assess the situation and keep everything as calm as possible for Five. Bringing the rest of the crew in now would create exactly the opposite, especially Two and Three.

The door to the showers was partially open, though only one of the five lights was on, he noticed as he eased the door open.

"Five?" he called quietly.

There was no answer. The room inside was cool, cooler than the hall outside. He could hear beads of water were pelting against the steel shower stall on the left side at the end of the walkway; more pooled and ran their way to the closest drain in the walkway.

The water was pink.

Hurriedly Four walked over, peering into the shower. His mouth fell open in shock.

Five was leaning against the metal wall, knees drawn up to her chest. She was wearing a white tank top and matching white pants. Her eyes were glazed and barely open, staring at nothing. Bruises dotted her face, neck... everywhere; red abrasions were on her slim wrists and ankles. He swallowed a growl of anger. The arm closer to the wall was between her legs and her chest; the right arm, closer to him, was a mess of small cuts and at least three longer, deeper , his brain noticed, a patchwork of white and pink scars under that.

He could feel the icy breath of the water from where he was. How she was able to sit there underneath it and not be shivering...

Snapping out of his initial shocked state, Four grabbed two of the large towels from the cabinet in the wall - thankfully, heated to keep the towels nice and warm - he turned the water off and draped the first towel over Five's body, and wrapped the second one around her crimson arm.

A glint under her drawn up legs grabbed his attention; a knife, a smaller version to the boot knife she'd used to cut them all free. Hurriedly, hoping the movement didn't startle her, he grabbed it and tossed the offending blade behind him; it clattered against the opposite metal shower. She didn't move at the noise or movement; she barely blinked as he applied pressure.

"Five?" he murmured.

A blink.

Hoping the slight acknowledgement was positive, Four continued, "Five, I need to take you to the Med-Bay to clean up your arm. To do that, I'll need to carry you. I want your understanding that that's all I'm going to do. I do not have any intentions other than helping you."

Flickering eyes; fear.

Four frowned. Perhaps other... men... had hurt her in the guise of help? Something to tuck away for later. Getting upset now would serve no purpose but to further frighten Five. He could consider those thoughts, and why he was being so cautious and caring, why he wanted to care for Five and not call Two to do it, later.

He tried again. "Five, you know me. Perhaps not from before, but think of now. I would never hurt you, never force you. That isn't who I am, and I know that, whether or not I have my memories."

Another blink, but not more fear. But also, no less.

Slowly, in her line of vision, he slowly reached out, ready to stop if her eyes told him to, and laid the back of his hand on her towel-covered knee; palm up and open, and offering, not a threat. Predictably, she stiffened, but not as much as he had been expecting. He left his hand there, letting her get used to him even as the towel around her torn up arm started to show bloody lines oozing through.

Her eyes slowly danced over from the floor to his hand.

"Are you... mad?"

The rough question, forced out of bruised and cracked lips, wasn't anything close to what Four was expecting.

"No! Why would I be?"

"Because of what... I let happen."

Four shook his head. "You fought him, I know you did. Two told me about his broken nose, the scratches on his body. If you had been armed, I know you would have done much worse. From now on, you will be, always." Hell, he was proud of her, fighting and causing as much damage to someone much larger and stronger than she was. But adding that would now only serve as a reminder she had been overpowered. His words would be enough as it was to bring those memories back to the surface.

Five's eyes glanced up to his face for a brief moment, confused. "You're not mad..."

Four gave her a small, true smile. "No, Five. Not about Cain, not about this," he motioned to her arm. "But I don't want you doing that anym-" Five's body convulsing in a violent shiver cut off Four's words; he had to catch her from falling onto her damaged arm. "I need to get you to the Med-Bay." Four said firmly instead.

This time, Five nodded, her body shivering again. Her eyes were downcast, body drawing in on itself. "I don't want the rest of the crew to see me."

Four nodded. "I'll tell them to steer clear. The Android is up. I think it would be best if she was at least present to assist with your wounds." Five flinched at that. "We will discuss that later," Four added as sternly as he dared.

Five nodded her acceptance as she pulled the towel up around her shoulders; whether acceptance at the Android being present, or the later discussion, Four wasn't sure.

He stood up and stepped down the hall; he didn't want her to hear what he would say to their crewmates.

OoOoO

"I've found Five."

In different search areas, One, Two, Three and Six all came to a dead stop.

"Where is she-"

"Is she ok?"

"I'm coming-"

"Shut up!" Four spat.

Silence.

"I am taking her to the Med-Bay. None of you will be in the corridors between there and the showers -"

"You don't give orders here, Four, I do." Two interrupted.

"-at her request." Four finished. "And if _any_ of you do not do as she is asking, you will not like what I will do to you."

Silence greeted his growled order.

"Is the kid ok?" Three asked. Then he sighed. "At least, as well as can be expected given... what happened?"

"No. She is further injured, by her own hand."

Three, One and Six all let out startled exclamations. Two was markedly silent.

"You knew she had a history of this, didn't you, Two?" asked Four.

Two sighed. "Not until I saw her scars when I was getting her cleaned up, or I never would have allowed her near anything sharper than a piece of stale freeze-dried bread."

Somehow, Four didn't quite believe her. But right now, it didn't matter. "Android, will you meet us in the Med-Bay?"

"Sure thing, Four. I will be sure to have a suture pack ready when you get there."

"Thank you. And the rest of you. Stay the hell out of my way."

OoOoO

Unsurprisingly, Four caught glimpses of the other four Raza crew members peering down darkened hallways and around corners as he carried Five to the Med Bay, shivering in the extra towels he had wrapped her in.

But they all had at least stayed out of his way, and more importantly, out of Five's sight.

The teal-haired girl, now curled up on a padded gurney with the Android standing over her injured arm, seemed almost completely unconscious.

"Can you give her something to help her rest?" He asked.

The Android didn't look up at him as she placed another stitch in the longest rent in Five's arm. "I could. My only concern is it might cause her to live through a hall of memories, and she once called it. Like when she was memory searching for the passcode to the vault. But it is only a thirty percent chance probability. Would you like me to give her one?"

Thirty percent. Higher than he would prefer, for all he didn't understand very much about medicine. But if it would give her some peace and rest from what had happened in the past twenty-four hours...

"Is there a way to wake her up if she starts showing signs of distress from memories or nightmares?"

"If I only give her a partial dose, then yes I should be able to use a reversal."

"Then do it," Four ordered. "I doubt she'd need a full-strength dose right now. And let me know if her condition changes."

Time to go and face the voices yammering in his ear almost non-stop since they'd arrived in the Med-Bay.


	6. Chapter 7

Four approached the rest of the crew on silent feet.

"For the last time, I don't know how I survived," Two was saying. "I got spaced, I tried to find something to hang onto to pull myself back in. I finally grabbed ahold of a vent, but was too far away from the airlock, and it was already closed. I waited to die..." she trailed off.

"But you didn't," One interjected slowly when she didn't continue.

"Yeah."

Silence.

"But _how_?" Three demanded.

"If I knew, I would tell you!"

"Yeah, and we should believe you why?" spat out Three.

"If she knew, do you think she'd be this freaked out?" asked Six. "Look at her."

Deciding nothing was to be gained by lurking, Four came around the corner. Two was sitting in the navagation seat. Six was lounging against the far wall. Three was pacing, and One was standing near Two.

"How's Five?" Two asked immediately.

"Resting. The Android is stitching her up now."

Two swallowed hard. "Four, if I had known..."

"You should have said something to the rest of us, so we could watch out for her," One said before Four could say anything. "we could make sure she was never in a position like that."

Two frowned at him. "It wasn't my place to tell her secret. If I had any concerns for her safety towards herself, I would have said something, but all the scars were healed, from at least before we lost our memories. I saw no reason to say anything. Not to mention, I was a bit preocupied by what had happened in the past 24 hours!"

"We know now," Four said firmly. "We will watch her, carefully. The last thing she will want us to do is to hover and watch. It could very well cause more issues."

"I'll move the weapons to a more secure location on the ship," Six offered, straightening. "There's some lockers down on level 2 which are key-coded."

Two nodded. "Take most of them there. We should all have some in our own bunks in case of an emergency or attack."

Six got up to leave, but a motion from One stopped him. "What about Wexler?"

"I say we space his ass." Three declared. "He doesn't deserve a bullet."

"I agree," said One.

"He deserves worse." Four said softly. "He betrayed us all, and be brought Cain on board."

Six nodded. "We shouldn't keep him on board."

"It wasn't just Cain who was making... suggestive comments about Five."

That seemed to seal it for Two. "Let's go."

On the way there, they made a brief stop.

OoOoO

Wexler looked up, feeling like he was being watched; or stalked.

Five angry faces glared through the glass of the door, ranging from rage and disgust to hatred and death.

He smirked at them. "Gonna invited me in?" he got to his feet.

To his utter shock, the doors slid open. Hesitantly, curiously, he stepped forwards.

Something icy cold slid across his stomach; he looked down. Crimson fluid was rapidly drenching him. Confused, he touched it.

Something warm and slimy fell into his hands.

It took him longer than it should have to understand, or maybe not, given the rapid blood loss, for Wexler to realize what he was holding were his own intestines.

He looked up. Four stood in front of him, one of his swords clenched in his fist, his dark eyes the death he had seen earlier; Three, One, Two and Six standing with him, standing as a wall of raging hatred.

Two stepped forwards and shoved him back into the airlock; Three sealed the door.

Wexler, barely staying on his feet, stared dumbly at the crew of the Raza as he was spaced.

OoOoO

One stayed to clean up the mess; Six and Three to move the weapons - though Three probably wanted to take all the really big ones to keep in his room.

Four and Two headed for the Med Bay.

They found the Android sitting with a conscious Five on the seat against the wall. Five was absently fixing the wire of one of the handheld diagnostic machines, didn't seem to notice when Four and Two entered. The Android glanced up at them but said nothing, her hand still resting on Five's lower back.

Four motioned for Two to hang back. She glared at him, but did as he asked. Slowly Four stepped into Five's periferal vision and waited for her to look up. She didn't at first, finishing the wiring she was currently focused on.

After a moment she slipped the cover back on and set it down in her lap. Then, hesitantly, she looked up at Four, her eyes searching his. He smiled gently. "'bout time you fixed that. Maybe I should have you check out the light in my closet. Only turns on when I open it maybe half the time."

She returned his smile with a very small one of her own. "Sounds like an easy problem to fix." She looked over at Two before looking quickly back at Four. "How..."

Four shrugged. "No idea, neither does she. Yet another mystery for us to add to our growing list."

Five looked back over at Two, slowly rising to her feet.

Two couldn't stand it anymore, and came forward and hugged their youngest crewmember. She almost pulled back when she felt Five stiffen in her arms. Then thin arms slipped gingerly around her waist briefly before stepping back away from her; Two let go, not wanting to push the girl's boundaries.

"I'm very glad to you're... still here, still alive," Five said earnestly, wrapping her arms around her stomach with a small shiver.

Two smiled. "Well I'm glad to be here, though I don't understand it at all." She glanced behind Five at Four, who was taking his jacket off and draping it around the girl's shoulders.

"I might be able to help you there." The Android offered. "If you stay here I can run some tests that might give you some answers."

"Do you know something you haven't shared?" Two asked suspicously.

"I've suspected, yes. But the tests will give us some real answers."

Two wanted to say yes; but Five...

Four seemed to notice. "I'll keep Five with me, if she is agreeable to that. "We both need the rest, and you want and need some answers, both for yourself and to give the rest of the crew, for understanding if nothing else."

Five nodded in agreement. "Stay and get your answers, Two. I'll crash with Four in his rooms."

Two nodded. "Alright. I'll see you later."

She watched Four gently lead Five out of the Med-Bay, a hand on her back which she wasn't shrinking away from. She smirked once they were out of sight, but it faded quickly. She turned to face the Android. "Let's get some answers, then if you can take over on the bridge, so I can crash for awhile, I'd really appreciate it."

OoOoO

Four and Five didn't speak at all as the went to his rooms. Fresh sheets and blankets were already on the bed. Four settled the blue-haired girl on the edge away from the door. Then he started to gather up extra blankets and an extra pillow from a cabinet.

"You can sleep in the bed, Four."

He looked up, startled. "Are you sure? I don't want to make you uncomfortable."

She looked away from him. "It will, somewhat. But not as bad as I think it will, and it's not fair to you, making you sleep on the floor in your own rooms."

Four didn't move. "I don't mind."

"Please."

Four thought about sleeping on the floor anyway, but he didn't want to distress Five any more. She trusted him enough to touch her, he had noticed, when she had flinched from Two, who they both knew didn't mean her any harm. Given, he didn't either.

So, he settled down facing away from where Five was curled in a little ball, watching the door, just in case.

In case of what, he wasn't sure.

OoOoO

Couple hours later, Two went to bed her mind whirling.

A genetically engineer human. She wasn't real. She wasn't _human,_ not really.

But she felt human, part of her argued. Emotions, physical feelings, touch...

But the reaction times, the fighting... that could be explained away with training.

The survival of the bite from the infected crew and being spaced, however...

Her mind spun in circles until she fell into an uneasy sleep.

OoOoO

Some time later, everyone was jolted awake.

"Android, what the hell is going on?" Two shouted.

"A black hole has opened directly in our path." The Android informed everyone. "There is no way we can avoid it."

"What the - seriously? Get us out of here!" Three shouted.

"I cannot. The gravitational pull is too strong for our thrusters to pull away from."

Two threw herself out of her bunk and towards the bridge as the ship shuddered again.

When she got there, the Android was furiously trying to correct their course or reverse it, but nothing was working.

Two glanced at the readings. "What the... a transitional black hole?"

"If we survive falling through, we will most likely end up and somewhere vastly different. It'll be like a teleportation station but with an unknown destination." Six had made it to the bridge.

"Is there a way to tell where we'll end up?" Two demanded.

"No." The Android said. Then her eyes widened. "Hang on to something!"

A blinding flash of light poured onto the bridge before vanishing as quickly as if someone had turned it off. Blinking away spots, Two and Six struggled to see where they had ended up.

The Android, however, have no such issues with her optical output. "Inhabited ABO planet ahead! Crash course detected! Trying to correct."

Nothing happened.

"Everybody, brace for impact!


	7. Chapter 8

"Six, c'mon wake up." A hand on his shoulder shook him roughly.

Two.

Six groaned, clutching his head. "Wha' the hell happened?"

"The Android was able to crash land us in a sea and up against an uninhabited part of the coast." Two explained as Six got to his feet. "We need to get the others up, and be ready for a boarding party."

"How damaged are we?"

The Android looked up from the console where she was seated. "Several thrusters are done, and at least nine couplings are broken. We will have to do an in-depth scan of all the systems to find out what else will need to be repaired."

"And we have next to no food, no bars, and not much to trade for food or supplies." Two added grimly. "Not to mention an unknown reception by the inhabitants of this planet."

"If you can bring the rest of the crew up here, I can go over what is known about this planet," The Android offered. "I doubt any of you have ever been to one like this before."

"What do you mean by that?" Two demanded.

"I will answer your questions once everyone is here," The Android replied patiently. "That way if they have the same questions, they can hear the answer all at once."

Two bit her tongue and nodded, turning to Six. "Go get Four and Five. I'll get One and Three. Sounds like we're going to need to be prepared for this."

OoOoO

Four woke up suddenly, blinking at the light streaming in from the hallway through the open door. He blinked. Why was it open? He had closed it before him and Five had gone to sleep...

 _Inhabited ABO Planet ahead! Crash course detected!_

Well, either the Android had corrected their course, or they had been lucky enough to have managed to break their fall through the sky in some way. A crash did explain the disarray of the room, at least what he had seen. Moving his head too much sent bolts of pain through his skull.

A panicked whimper made him look behind him, pain forgotten.

Five was pressed up against the door to the lavatory, a hulking dark figure crouched in front of her, reaching for her bandaged arm.

Before he could fully process what he was doing, Four grabbed the man from behind and threw him into the wall next to the door with a snarl. He half stood, half crouched between Five and the threat, waiting for it to attack again.

It didn't.

Instead, it let out a half groan of pain, half chuckle. "Damn, Four. You're stronger than you look. I wasn't going to hurt her."

Six.

Four slowly straightened, recognition dawning as he got a better look at the interloper. Six stayed where he was, meeting Four's gave briefly before dropping his eyes.

"I was just seeing if she was alright. Both of you got tossed around somewhat, and it looked like one of her bandages had bled through." Six told him, eyes still on the ground. "I could tell you were ok, so I moved on to her."

Half turning, Four knelt down next to Five, and looked at her. Her bruises had darkened noticeably overnight, especially the one on her face; they eye on that side was almost swollen shut. Swallowing down a growl, Four continued checking on Five. The bandage on her mostly uninjured wrist was still clean, but where she had taken a blade to her skin there was red. "I think you pulled some stitches, we'll have the Android fix you up. How's your head?"

Five finally raised her eyes to his. "Hurts, just like I'm sure yours does," she said with a small smile. Then she looked over at Six. "Sorry I freaked on you. Just... I woke up and you were right above me, and..." she trailed off, her eyes haunted.

"Don't worry about it, Five. I should have known better. I'm sorry, too."

"Yes you should be," muttered Four as he helped Five to her feet.

Behind him, Six shook his head as he got up but didn't say anything until both of them were facing him. "I know you want to get her fixed up, but Two and the Android have asked us all to come to the bridge. The Android wants to discuss the type of planet we're crashed into. It seems really important."

"I thought I heard her say it was inhabited."

Six nodded. "It is, but didn't elaborate as to by what or anything else. That's why she wants to talk to us."

Four nodded but didn't move. After a moment Six stepped out and into the hallway. Only then did Four lead Five out of the churned up room.

OoOoO

Two found Three helping One sit up on a bench in the wall outside of his room; the latter holding his head between both hands, the former holding him upright with an arm half-heartedly around his shoulders, the other hand on one's knee. An odd sight, she thought as she approached the two men. They could go from shouting at each other, to fighting, to wanting to kill each other, to this.

"You both all right?" she asked.

Three looked up at her jumping slightly; the grip on the other man tightening slightly. One didn't even try to look up. "What the hell happened?" he winced when he turned to look at her, a rapidly growing lump purpling his temple.

"Transitional black hole." She informed them. "Dropped us right into a crash course with an inhabited ABO type planet. The Android was able to cushion our landing in an ocean, though we've run aground into an empty part of the coastline, and we're in no condition to fly."

"What the hell is an ABO planet?" came the muffled question from One, who had yet to move.

"No idea, but the Android wants us all up at the bridge so she can explain." She paused. "What happened to you?"

"Cabinet in his room detached from the wall and landed on top of him while he was still in bed," Three explained when One took too long. "Banged up his already banged up head. As if Wexler didn't mess you up enough."

Two ground her teeth at the mention of Wexler; he had brought a monster on board besides himself, and severely hurt two of her people, nearly suffocated the rest, and tried to kill her. Three caught her eye; rage was also in his, though his arm around One remained awkwardly supportive.

"C'mon. We can stop by the Med-Bay on the way to the bridge. I doubt you're the only one who'll need a shot of pain reliever."

OoOoO

The three of them found Four, Five and Six already on the bridge with the Android. Six was about as far away from the other two as he could get, and every time he moved Four looked at him. Two looked between the two silently for an explanation.

"I startled Five when I went to get them." Six finally said. "I don't think either of them recognized me, they were both rather out of it."

"Four threw him into a wall," Five added, looking miserable, her legs drawn up to her chest, arms wrapped around ber body as she leaned into the corner of the room. "I freaked out when I woke up and he was crouched over me, and - "

"He should have known better," Four interrupted with a glare at Six. "It's not your fault."

"You threw him?" Three asked Four, startled. When Four nodded, he whooped. "Nice one!"

"Are you all done yet?" Two snapped, not looking up from where she was crouched by Four and Five, giving them each a shot of pain reliever.

Silence, and probably an eyeroll from Three if she had been looking at him. She turned to the Android. "Now, what has you so concerned about this planet?"

The Android, who had been listened to the exchange with interest, blinked and turned to the monitor. "Do any of you know what an ABO planet is?"

They all shook their heads.

"An ABO planet is like most other planets in the fact it can support a wide variety of life, from planets and insects up to reptiles and mammals. Those are not affected by the ABO atmospheric field. That field only affects higher developed brain systems, like humans."

"What does this field do?" One asked.

"It plays a large role in the genetic psychological and physical developments of humanoids. Some traits, like rage, are heightened and harder to control, but typically only in the A rank. ABO planets typically have a very rigid rule and rank system, at least in the larger cities and more developed areas. I did see a larger city on the radar before we landed. I suspect after we're scanned and deemed not a threat, they will attempt to make contact with us."

"What does all that have to do with us?" Three demanded.

"As soon as we entered their atmosphere, the field started affecting all of you. It might take some time for the changes to become obvious, but they will. The longer we are here, the more it will affect you and the longer it'll take to get out of your system once we leave."

"Is there anything we can do to stop this?" asked Two. "Reinforce the shields or hull, anything?"

The Android shook her head. "No one has ever found a way to stop it. There is a reason the Galactic Authority never comes out here. It changes them. Sometimes the lesser crew members might be a higher rank after exposure to the field, and refuse to take orders from their commander, or a group of lessers overpower the higher ranking commander."

"How can they refuse to do that?" One asked, confused. "That person is their commander."

At the same time, Six asked, "What does the ABO stand for?"

"Alpha, Beta, Omega. The three main ranks the field creates."

Silence greeted her reply. Suddenly Three was up, cursing. "Wait, I've heard of these places. Stupid head knock" - he rubbed the welt on his temple - "can't believe I didn't put it all together!"

"Tell us what you mean, Three," Two said angrily. "Because this doesn't make a whole lot of sense to the rest of us."

Stopping in the middle of the bridge, Three threw his hands out wide. "Think of a pack of wolves, or tikalras. The Alphas are in charge, the upper middle ones are betas. On ABO planets, that occurs naturally in humans! Like US!" He whirled around, swiping his hand across the counter, sending odds and ends of hardware, wiring and tools the Android had set up there flying onto the ground in front of Five, who flinched at the noise and flying objects as much as his raised voice.

Four crouched next to her. "Knock it off, Three. Or I'll throw you too."

Three froze, staring at Four. Rigidly, Four started to straighten from his crouch, eyes hard when a cold hand on his arm stopped him. "Please, Four, don't. I'm sorry." Five murmured.

Four hesitated for a moment, eyes not leaving Three, but eventually sat stiffly back down next to Five.

"Holy shit," Three murmured. "It's already happening." He looked over at Five, body relaxing. "Don't appologize, kid. My fault for getting... upset."

"What are you talking about?" Two asked. "What's already happening?" She looked at Four but he looked the same as he always did.

"The changes." Three and the Android replied, at the same time. The Android continued, "I suspected as much when Five reported that Four had thrown Six when he had startled her, and appeared to be threatening her. Four's reaction to the Three is another sign."

When the rest of the crew still looked confused, Three sighed. "Four saw me as a threat to Five, just as he did with Six. Because she felt we were a threat and was frightened, he saw a threat, and reacted to protect her." He turned to look at the Android. "Omega?"

She nodded. "I believe so, which would make Four an Alpha. The rest of you might be showing signs, but none are apparent yet."

Two shoved herself off of the wall. "So let me get this straight. The atmospheric field is affecting us to make us like wolves or tikalras?"

"Individually, yes, in a manner of speaking." The Android replied. She punched a few buttons. "Here. A more simplified explanation. Alphas, which make up the majority of the population at around 55% in most places. They are not allowed in the general police force because of their... short triggers for rage and fighting to either protect or the opposite; in other words, they like to fight. They can be found in the private sector though. They are found in most of other job sectors, such as engineering, accounting and transportation.

"Betas are 25%-30% of the population, and because of their lack of rage triggers are mainly in the police and medical fields, though often can be found in others, like child care and art, though the forme is more often occupied by Omegas.

"Omegas make up most of the rest of the population." The Android paused. "To use Three's wolf analogy, Omegas are similar to the submissives in a wolf pack. Low ranking, sensitive to those around them. They often end up in fields where they help take care of people or animals, or fix things. Most of them anyways."

Three narrowed his eyes. "What about the rest of them?" he asked, thinking about Five. He wanted to know, them all to know, what to expect from the in habitants of this planet in regards to the kid.

The Android hesitated. "Given the negative aspects of some Alphas, I'm sure you can draw your own conclusions."

Hell. Like Cain and Wexler, Three thought angrily. Not while he was still standing.

"If none of the rest of us reacted like Four did to Three, does that mean Four is the only Alpha?" asked One, ignoring Three's undignified snort.

"No. He could just be more affected already, whether due to his location within the ship after we entered the atmosphere, or previous exposure to a planet similar to this one." The Android replied.

A beeping interrupted what Six had been about to ask. "Incoming message from the direction of the city," The Android announced. She looked at Two, who nodded.

"Unidentified ship, you have crashed onto ABO planet Vintaer, near the city of Yvarit. Are any of your crew injured and in need of assistance?"

Everyone blinked. That had to be the friendliest boarding warning they could remember having.

Two stepped forward. "We had minor injuries, but that have been taken care of." she replied.

"Good to hear. We are about ten minutes from your position. With your permission we will come aboard with a Reader and answer any questions you have, and see what repairs are needed for your ship."

Three rubbed his fingers together, then threw both hands in the air. "We appreciate the offer," Two began. "But we have very little to trade."

"Don't worry, I'm sure we can work something out. In the meantime, do we have your permission to come aboard?"

Two hesitated, looking at her crew. They had weapons, if needed, and could defend themselves. They could protect themselves. "Yes. See you soon."


End file.
